Paper Crane
by endymion015
Summary: Everyone knows how Yuta feels about Nina..everyone except,well,Nina.Will she ever find out?How will she react?A 2part ficlet set on or afterthe crowning of the new 'Princess'. Some major Spoiler Alerts.
1. Default Chapter

"Paper Crane" part one

-endymion-

_disclaimer: they're not mine! Not mine I tell you! NOOOOO!!!! '_

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* * *

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_(Nina)_

I applauded along with everyone else as we watched the crowning of the new princess.

"Maya-chan looks so beautiful tonight, ne, jiisan?" I told my grandpa, who had his arms crossed across his chest.

"Hmph," he grunted. "That should have been you up there."

I laughed. Grandpa really wanted me to take the crown.

He's right. That should have been me up there. I was qualified, wasn't I? I got all of the Holy Stones didn't I? But I chose not to take the crown. It wasn't me the prince wanted. Maya-chan was the one he was looking for all along.

I'm glad we had _that_ cleared up.

I'm not going to be a princess. I'm going home. They won't forget everything. I'll see Ayu-chan once more. And Kaji-kun too. And...

_Tsujiai-kun..._

I felt heat rise up to my cheeks at the thought of him. I remembered that episode in the Dark Zone. The feel of his fingertips on mine was etched into my memory forever. And the way he looked when we said goodbye...(this is the point where I'm supposed to sigh)

I never meant to like him _that _way, actually. It just sort of...happened. I guess it was because of Ayu's humongo crush on Kaji-kun. We hung out with them a lot in my attempts to get Ayu-chan and Kaji-kun together. Since Kaji-kun should always be the one near Ayu-chan, Tsujiai was the one stuck with me. Oh yeah, he also found about my little secret read: my witchy powers, and he was totally okay with it.

I just woke up one day looking forward to seeing him again. I found myself staring at the back of his raven head during class. It took me so long to figure it out. Heck, Ayu-chan figured it out long before I did!

"—can't they just finish the stupid ceremony so we can eat?" I heard jiisan grumble beside me. I shook my head, amused. Typical jiisan.

Gray-green eyes caught mine. Yuta's eyes. I grinned at him and waved. He smiled back, although it seemed forced, almost wistful. Then he turned back to the dancing couple. He didn't seem to be watching them though. His normally mischievous eyes were blank and unfocused.

I shrugged it off. Whatever. He was probably trying to think of a new prank he could play. He loved that kind of thing. Ever since we were young, he amused himself by causing trouble for everyone and stirring things up. Then he mastered the skill of non-persocom magic. You know, the kind where you only need to use your eyes and hands to do magic. He was a genius in magic, and he never lets me forget it. I still have far to go, because according to him, I lack concentration. But even though he gives me a hard time sometimes, he can be pretty cool too. He _is _my childhood bestfriend, after all.

Oh well. So much for reminiscing.

"Jiisan, I'm going to the garden," I said, turning on my heel, wanting to escape the formalities of the ballroom.

I chuckled to myself. I really am not cut out to be a _hime._ I'm glad I'll be going home in the morning.

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_(Yuta )_

I studied Nina's profile from a short distance. For someone who just lost the crown to her rival, she seemed genuinely happy. Her eyes were sparkling with excitement for Maya-chan.

Well she should be. Happy I mean. She didn't want to be a princess anyway. Not really. Or, not anymore should be more accurate. She _did_ want to be a princess since our childhood. It's every little girl's fantasy. But then she was sent to earth and she got to live the life of a normal human. She met good friends there. Ayu-chan, Kaji-kun and Tsujiai kun.

My teeth ground together.

At first, I thought, okay so Nina would be living in earth temporarily. I could deal with that. I could visit her during break. It wasn't _that_ hard to go to the human world. It's just a simple matter of teleportation magic. And if there's something I'm good at, it's magic. I really didn't worry about her collecting all the stones and marrying The Prince because honestly speaking, Nina really sucked at magic. Back in Magic School I spent half the time helping her clean up after her mistakes and the other half _laughing_ at her.

Then Nina met Ayu. I was kind of jealous of Ayu at first. She became Nina's best friend, which was supposed to be my position. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Ayu was better at the job than I was. I admit, I'm a lousy best friend. I always give Nina a hard time, especially when it comes to magic. But even though I teased her a lot and she had become a victim of my pranks at one time or another, I was there ready provide help if she needed it.

I wanted to make Nina jealous too so I dated Ayu. Stupid idea, really. Nina was such a kid. She didn't understand infatuation and love back then. Though I _did_ find out why Nina was so fond of Ayu, the make-Nina-jealous plan was complete dud. What's worse is that Ayu found out how I felt for Nina. But she promised not to tell her. What a nice girl sarcasm aside..

Then _Tsujiai_ had to happen.

I knew Nina forever. Tsujiai knew her for, what? Less than a year? A month? But the chemistry between them was amazing. They had way too much in common. Nina, stupid kid that she was, loved comic books and cartoons and toys. Same with Tsuijiai. And it didn't help that Tsujiai was thrilled to have a friend who was like she came straight out of a comic book.

Heh. He likes her, she likes him, end of story, right? But still that nagging feeling lingers at the back of my mind.

_What if? _What if things were different? What if I told her how I really felt for her early on? What if she reciprocated?

She caught my eye and she waved. I waved back and smiled at her hesitantly before staring off into space.

"Jiisan, I'm going to the garden," I heard her tell her eternally-grumpy grandpa before leaving. I suppressed the urge to snicker. Everytime there was a royal function, Nina never saw it through the end. She always left before everyone else, sometimes taking me along with her.

She'll be going back to the human world tomorrow. I might not see her for a very long time.

Hmm...

Time to answer those what ifs.

_-to be continued-_

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Author's Babbles

And that's a wrap for the first part! I actually wanted this to be a one-shot, but it was becoming a little too long. I am in love with Yuta-kun (_waves to Yuta fans)_. He didn't get to develop much of a personality during the series so this is my pathetic attempt in giving him one. And I believe its unfair for him to get stuck with Luna in the end. She's cool and all but...hehe..you know what I mean.

Please let me know what you think!

Next up: Yuta confesses. Will it be a happy ending for Nina and Yuta?


	2. Paper Crane Part Two

"Paper Crane" part two

-endymion-

A/N: usual disclaimers apply.

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(_Nina) _

"Hmmm!" I stretched my arms over my head once I stepped out into the cool evening air. Whew! It felt good to be out of that stuffy place!

I took off the high-heeled shoes grandpa made me wear and made a beeline towards my favorite spot in the garden; the tiny stream.

I flopped down on the grass, disregarding the fact that my dress skirt would be covered with grass stains later on, and let my feet dip into the cool water of the stream.

I took a deep breath and let it out with a _whoosh. _It felt really good.

I leaned back, propping myself up by my arms and looked up. The sky looked beautiful The stars looked like twinkling diamonds on velvet, and the moon was as round and bright as a pearl. I wonder if Tsujiai-kun is looking up at the sky tonight too...

Just as I was beginning to smile, something glowing settled on my nose.

I let out a shriek and fell spectacularly onto my back.

I swatted it out of my face. "What the--" I murmured, sitting back up.

Laughter rang loud in the stillness of the night. I twisted my neck around and saw the culprit.

"Yuta, _hidoi_!!!" I exclaimed angrily. My so-called friend was clutching his stomach, laughing heavily at my misfortune (which he imposed himself). "You know I'm afraid of bugs! You sent that firefly didn't you?"

He strolled over, kicked my discarded shoes out of the way and sat down indian-style beside me.

"Yeah, I sent it," he said, an annoyingly cheeky grin still on his lips. "But that wasn't a firefly."

"Huh? Then what was it?"

He snapped his fingers and something rose from the ground and floated in midair towards me.

"Show-off," I rolled my eyes and snatched it out of the air. I took a good look at it. "Oro...paper crane?"

"Correct!" Yuta said, clapping his hands with only a hint of sarcasm. "Didn't think you had it in ya."

I stuck my tongue out at him. Juvenile, I know, but this is _Yuta_ I'm talking to here. Sticking out my tongue is a kind of reflex when he starts to tease me. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Same reason as you," he shrugged.

"Are you sure of my reason for stepping out?" I challenged him.

"Nina, I've known you all my life," he smirked, and pointed a finger at me. "You always leave the ballroom for the same reason. Boredom."

"Sometimes Yuta,you can be such a--" I began then cut myself off. "Never mind. Not even you can spoil my good mood."

"Let me guess why," he replied. "It's coz you're going back, isn't it?"

"Bingo!" I said cheerfully.

I looked at the paper crane in my hand. I used to love making these things when I was younger. _Origami_ was something I was really good at. In fact, it was the only thing I could do better than Yuta. I tried teaching him long ago, but he'd grow impatient and use the paper as spitballs. He might be a genius but he was a disgusting child once.

"Ne, Yuta, when did you learn how to make a paper crane?" I wondered out loud. The crane I held was done perfectly.

"When I found out I could make one with magic," he grinned wolfishly. I laughed. I should've known.

"Ne, Nina," he said, his voice dropped in volume.

"Hmm?"

"Do you really want to go back there?"

Was that a trick question?

"Of course I do," I replied. "My whole life is there. I belong there now."

"I see," he said quietly. I glanced at him, puzzled at his sudden change in character. He was dead serious. "Do you like it better there?"

Hmm. That's a tough one. Darn Yuta. "Honestly? Yeah, I think so," I sighed. "Don't get me wrong. I love it here, but back there, it's just...I don't know. Different. Back there I feel normal yet special at the same time."

"But you're special here too," Yuta said, completely catching me off-guard. That was a very un-Yuta-like thing to say. I looked back at him and his eyes held mine. "Don't you know that?"

OK. What on earth is going on here?

There were a load of questions I wanted to ask him right now, but inexplicably, my mouth went dry. The look in his eyes made the words die in my throat. It was as if he was probing my eyes for something, like he was looking for something he never found. It was a deep, searching look that was so full of meaning.

So, _why's_ he looking at me like that?

Before anybody could answer that question, he was brushing his fingers against my cheek and his lips met mine.

* * *

(_Yuta_)

I kissed her before I could stop myself.

And it was better than I have ever imagined. I could tell that this is her first, by the way she hesitated, as though she didn't know what to do. Then she got used to the feeling and she started to respond. Our lips brushed slowly and gently against each other innocently. I didn't dare deepen the kiss, or she might whack me.

Tch. Well at least that's one thing I beat Tsujiai at.

When we pulled away, she had a questioning look on her face.

"Yuta, what--"

I put a finger on her lips to silence her. "Please listen," I said and proceeded to embrace her.

"I know it was wrong of me to do that, especially without your consent, and especially with me knowing how you felt about Tsujiai, but I wanted to do that for so long, Nina," I whispered in her ear. "I've loved you for God knows how long, I don't know how or why, but I do. Now you know why I tried to help Maya collect the stones. You know why I wanted to date Ayu. You know why I kept on going back to your world. I'm sorry all I ever did was pester you. I didn't know how else to show you how I felt. I know its Tsujiai you like, but please let me hug you for the very first and last time before you fly back to him tomorrow. Let me make you feel just how much I care for you."

I let my arms linger around her a little longer before I drew them back. Still I held her close enough to look into her eyes.

"I love you, Nina Sakura."

"Oh Yuta..." she murmured. I took one look at her and I knew the answers to those what ifs. She looked ready to burst into tears. She opened her mouth to speak but I shook my head sadly.

"You don't really have to say anything," I told her, forcing a smile and pinching her cheek. "I don't want you to suffer any more than you already are. I'll spare you from the pain of rejecting an old friend."

I kissed her forehead one last time before standing up to leave.

* * *

(_Nina_)

I looked up at Yuta as he stood up and walk away.

What just happened here? I couldn't believe anything I heard. I wanted to believe it was also one of his pranks, but I knew it wasn't.

Then everything just clicked together. Oh God, how could I have been so dense?

No wait.._don't_ answer that.

"Have a nice life, Nina," he said, his obnoxious, indifferent tone said from a distance. "Take care of that crane, now."

I stared at the paper crane once more. Something wasn't right with it. Well, besides the fact that it was crushed after Yuta hugged me.

Without really knowing what I was doing, I unfolded it carefully. It was an old note.

_Dear Nina,_

_Got tickets to that night ride you wanted. You know, the flying ones. Got extras for Ayu and Kaji. Do you want to ride it with me?_

_With love,_

_Yuta_

_'What on earth..?' _I thought, and glanced at the date. Hmm…I remembered this day…Ayu-chan and Kaji-kun's sort of anniversary (when they confessed their feelings for each other in and out of the library.) It was the day or two before my lovely night with Tsujiai on the flying carriage. So the ticket was supposed to be for Yuta, then...

No way…it was the same day that Ayu-chan first found out about how I felt for Tsujiai! Darn Ayu-chan and that love thermometer!

But wait..How'd he know about that? He had been watching me _that_ closely all that time?

"Yuta!" I called out, getting on my feet.

I searched the garden with blurry eyes. I didn't even realize I was crying.

But he was gone.

A crumpled paper crane is all he left behind.

-end-

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Author's Babbles:

so how was it? I'm all for Nina/Tsujiai but I just love Yuta so much! I wanted give him at least a chance to voice out how he felt. And I'm a sucker for sad endings. Gomen ne if the Nina and Yuta seemed a little (or a lot) off-character and gomen if some parts didn't make any sense!

oh, a shout out to all fellow pinoy readers and writers! ;p

please review! Mucho arigatou!


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